Featured Collaborator – Aaron McCullough

Collaborator Bio

I was born in Montreal. While growing up there I was always taken with the colours of leaves in fall. Quebec is such a visual feast. When I was 10 years old my parents (born and raised in Dublin, Ireland) decided to move out west in the spring of ’77. I have lived in Calgary since then.

Picked up a camera in high school and between my guitar and camera my hands have been full ever since. In ’96 I graduated from the U of C with a Commerce degree majoring in Finance. To put myself through university I would paint houses in the summer. When I graduated I just kept painting which led me into the film business and I’ve continued to work in the industry. I am a Scenic artist or Paint Co-ordinator as some like to call it. Basically I run the paint department in film and TV.

When not on a film I make my living as a photographer. I shoot weddings, fashion, glamour and commercial (mostly commercial now). Recently I have just opened up a studio in downtown Calgary. I do what I love and I love what I do.

Aaron McCulloughCalgary - AB

An Interview with Aaron

Q. When is your birthday?

A. 15/04/67

Q. What is your best memory/moment from one of your past birthdays?

A. I would have to say my 45th. Because I can only remember up until about two years ago cause I’m old. Kidding. But it was a good one. A lot of friends and family around the kitchen with a good buddy catering the event. The food was fantastic and the company fantasticer.

Q. How about your worst? And why?

A. The worst birthday? I can’t recall a “worst” birthday. As far as I can remember (which isn’t very far) my birthdays have always been quite lovely.

Q. What do you believe is the most important aspect of celebrating a birthday?

A. I believe the most important aspect of celebrating a birthday is the fact that without one we don’t exist. It is where it all begins. It is the single most important day of your life. Without it there is no life. Life should be celebrated.

Q. Do you/your family have a tradition/rituals/ceremonies to celebrate birthdays? What is it?

A.I would say a constant theme (tradition/ritual/ceremony) would be family, friends, food and wine. Ya, lots of wine.

Q. What is your life motto?

A. My life’s motto is something I came up with a few years back. “There are two things you will find in life: a way or an excuse. Find a way.

Q. What/Whom drives you to keep going and why?

A. I drive myself to keep going. Because anything less is an excuse.

Q. If you could change one and only one thing – big or small – what would it be?

A. That my Dad would still be alive.

Q. Which photographers have influenced you, and how did they influence your thinking, photographing and career path?

A. I wouldn’t say a particular photographer has influenced me. I would say everything influences me. If I was to boil it down to a person I would say John Lennon. He influenced the way I think which influences everything else.

Q. What motivates you to continue to take photographs?

A. What motivates me? The fact that photography to me is all about self discovery. Self discovery is very important to me. It is what life is about to me. Every portrait I have ever taken is a reflection of myself. How the subject is relating and reacting to me. That connection. I get to see me in someone else in a sense.

Q. Why did you agree to participate in The Birthday Book Project?

A. The country mouse and the city mouse. Synchronicity. I know I am on the right path when I am involved in Synchronous events. The way this all came together for me was very Synchronous.

Q. What do you expect to accomplish through your participation in The Birthday Book Project?

To bring Canadian photographers together and create a body of work that represents the unique personalities of individuals and celebrates differences, cultures and traditions surrounding birthday memories and celebrations.

We want to encourage collaboration and give photographers an opportunity to showcase their talent by coming together as a community and collaborating on a project that brings to light the uniqueness of individuals around the world..

The concept for this project was born from a book by Gary Goldschneider called The Secret Language of Birthdays. In this book the author compiled information from over 40 years of empirical research to describe individuals through an assessment of the day and month of their birth. We want to do the same, but through images.